Manual pattern transfer device



May 21, 1963 ASTRA SARK BORN AROUNOWA 3,

MANUAL PATTERN TRANSFER DEVICE Filed Aug United States Patent 3,090,301 MANUAL PATTERN TRANSFER DEVICE Astra Sark, born Arounowa,

Charlotte, Monte Carlo, Principality de Monaco Filed Aug. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 128,524 Claims priority, application France Aug. 3, 1960 6 Claims. (Cl. 101-134) This invention relates to an improved manual pattern transfer device which will be especially useful in the printing of repetitive ornamental patterns and the like on surfaces, such as the walls of a room, furniture, fabrics, or other articles to be decorated.

It is an object of the invention to provied a handy and practical instrument whereby any person without previous skill or training will be able to provide diverse and varicoloured decorative patterns on surfaces of any kind at a high rate and yet neatly and accurately. Another object is to provide such a device in which the pattern carrying element will be readily interchangeable, whereby an assortment of different pattern elements may be prefabricated in advance by skilled artisans and placed on the market for selective purchase at the customers requirement and taste.

The novel manual pattern transfer device of the invention is in the nature of a squeegee roller. In one aspect of the invention the device comprises a support having a handle, a transfer roller journalled in the support, a pattern element in the form of a tube snugly removably fittable around said roller and having at least one soluble solid transfer medium constituting selected surface areas thereof, and a wetter roller journalled in said support about an axis parallel and spaced from the axis of said transfer roller and containing a store of a liquid solvent for said soluble transfer medium.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described for illustrative purposes with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 shows a plan view of the device;

FIGURE 2 shows a side elevation thereof in one form of embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a similar view in another embodiment;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a pattern element according to the invention for use with the device shown; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of the device in use.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a rigid support in the form of a two-armed bracket or clevis 1 provided with a handle 5 projecting from a side of it, and having a cylindrical roller 3 journalled about a pivot 4 supported by the upstanding arms of said bracket. Another, so-called wetter roller 2, preferably of smaller diameter than roller 3, is journalled about a pivot 6 supported in an auxiliary two-armed bracket or clevis 7 connected with the main bracket 1, as best seen in FIGURE 2. The transfer roller 3 is preferably arranged to be readily disengageable from its pivoted support in the bracket 1, for a purpose that will presently appear. Snug- 1y fitted around the periphery of roller 3 is a tubular pattern element 8 which may comprise a rigid tubular inner carrier member with a pattern secured therearound, said pattern constituting or including an assembly of dye elements of any desired shapes and sizes. The dyes used may include any solid organic dye substances soluble in a suitable solvent (e.g. water, or organic solvents), and pressed e.g. moulded, with suitable ingredients such as binders, thickeners and the like, around the surface of the tubular core. The wetter roller 2 may include an internal recess in which a store of solvent liquid, e.g. water or another solvent depending on the nature of the dyes used, is contained, and an outer yielding lining such Boulevard Princesse 3,090,301 Patented May 21, 1963 as felt or other material, communicating with said recess through perforations.

In the form of embodiment shown in FIGURE 2, the Wetter roller 2 is arranged to be supported in contact engagement with the pattern element 8 on transfer roller 3, so that in use, when the device is grasped by means of the handle 5 and is then moved over a surface to be printed on, eg in the direction shown by the arrow in FIGURE 2, the wetter roller 2 rotates in engagement with the transfer roller 3- and continually and uniformly moistens the pattern element 8 with the solvent. The pattern is thus partly dissolved at each revolution and transferred to the surface.

In the alternative embodiment of FIGURE 3, the Wetter roller 2 is supported out of engagement with the pattern element 8 but is arranged in use to ride over the printing surface somewhat ahead of the transfer cylinder when the device is moved in the direction shown by the arrow in FIGURE 3. In this case, the printing surface is continually wetted with solvent so as to partly dissolve the pattern at each revolution and effect the desired transfer. The modification of FIGURE 3 has an advantage in that it permits of adjusting the amount of solvent deposited on the surface by exerting more or less hand pressure upon the wetter roller 2. On the other hand, the form shown in FIGURE 2 is more compact and may be more convenient to use in some cases.

The two forms shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 need not necessarily constitute distinct devices, but may be regarded as two manners of using the same device. In fact, the auxiliary bracket 7 supporting the wetter roller 2 may be connected to the main bracket 1 through a pivotal connection provided with a set screw or the like, whereby the angle between the two frame members 1 and 7 may be adjusted to provide either for the type of operation shown in FIGURE 2, or that in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an exemplary pattern element 8 removed from the transfer cylinder 3 and is here shown as a checker pattern with squares that may be of many diiferent colours. When the device is moved as shown in FIGURE 5 over a surface 10, which may be flat or curved, the dyes are partially dissolved at each revolution of the transfer roller so that the pattern is continuously deposited on the surface 10 as shown at 9.

As earlier noted, an advantage of the invention is the fact that while the pattern transferring process is eX- tremely simple so that it can be performed by any unskilled person, e.g. for home decoration, yet the patterns thus transferred may be of a high artistic order since the pattern elements 8 can be prepared prior to sale in accordance with some master pattern which itself may be the Work of a talented artist. The user need simply choose and purchase one or more existing pattern elements 8 of an assortment according to his own taste. For changing a pattern on the device, the roller 3 may be disengaged from one or both of the arms of the bracket 1 in which it is journalled, an old pattern element 8 may be withdrawn and a new element 8 slipped on instead.

One manner of exploiting the invention that may well prove commercially advantageous is to hire out the pattern elements 8. That is, normally a job of decoration done in the home will consume only a limited amount of dye material. Hence the pattern elements 8 may under certain conditions be taken back by the dealer and hired out a number of times to diiferent customers before they are worn out.

Various modifications may be made in the illustrated embodiment within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A manual pattern transferring device for decorative and the like purposes, which comprises a support having a handle, a transfer roller journalled in said support, a

pattern element surrounding the cylindrical surface of said roller and having at least one selected surface area thereof constituted by an assembly of solid pre-shaped solvent soluble dye members, and a wetter roller journalled in said support about an axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of the transfer roller and containing a store of a liquid solvent for said dye members, said pattern element being adapted for direct application to a surface to be decorated to deposit thereon peripheral layers of said dye members dissolved by the liquid solvent from said wetter roller.

2. A manual pattern transferring device which comprises a support having a handle, a transfer roller journalled in said support, a tubular pattern element snugly re movably fitted around said roller and constituted by a rigid tubular carrier core and an assembly of solid preshaped solvent-soluble dye members pressed around the surface of said core to define a variegated transferable pattern thereon, and a wetter roller journallecl in said support about an axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of the transfer roller and containing a store of a liquid solvent for said dye members.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein means are provided for disengaging said transfer roller from said support.

4-. A device according to claim 1, wherein said wetter roller is positioned for contact engagement with the outer surface of the pattern element for directly Wetting said dye members in use.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said wetter roller is positioned out of contact engagement with the outer surface of the pattern element for wetting a printing surface ahead of the pattern element when in use.

6. A device according to claim 1, including means for adjusting the inter-axial spacing of said transfer and 15 wetter rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 662,859 Hett Nov. 27, 1900 2,165,867 Lohrey luly 11, 1939 2,610,580 Burke Sept. 16, 1952 

1. A MANUAL PATTERN TRANSFERRING DEVICE FOR DECORATIVE AND THE LIKE PURPOSES, WHICH COMPRISES A SUPPORT HAVING A HANDLE, A TRANSFER ROLLER JOURNALLED IN SAID SUPPORT, A PATTERN ELEMENT SURROUNDING THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID ROLLER HAVING AT LEAST ONE SELECTED SURFACE AREA THEREOF CONSTITUTED BY AN ASSEMBLY OF SOLID PRE-SHAPED SOLVENT-SOLUBLE DYE MEMBERS, AND A WETTER ROLLER JOURNALLED IN SAID SUPPORT ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM THE AXIS OF THE TRANSFER ROLLER AND CONTAINING A STORE OF A LIQUID SOLVENT FOR SAID DYE MEMBER, SAID PATTERN ELEMENT BEING ADAPTED FOR DIRECT APPLICATION TO A SURFACE TO BE DECORATED TO DEPOSIT THEREON PERIPHERAL LAYERS OF SAID DYE MEMBERS DISSOLVED BY THE LIQUID SOLVENT FROM SAID WETTER ROLLER. 